Today we begin the season of Advent, a word which means ‘the coming.’ There are three comings: of Jesus’s Nativity at Bethlehem, of the Lord in glory at the end of time, and of Christ’s Spirit into our hearts and lives at each present moment. The readings invite us to perceive our place in the present world as something that opens us out to others. They call us to live according to the perspective of the new world to come.
The great prophet Jeremiah, in the First Reading, offers hope in the promise of that first coming. Through the springing up of the ‘righteous branch of David’ the people will dwell securely. In response, I may like to imagine myself lifting up my soul to the Lord (Psalm).
St Paul, writing to the Christians at Thessalonica (Second Reading), reminds them to be ready for that second coming of the Lord in glory. They believed this to be imminent, and being ready for it meant abounding in loving service.
In the Gospel, Jesus consoles his disciples – and us. When the signs of his coming in glory are to be seen, we can stand tall and eager for the gift of redemption, for what we are awaiting is the fulness of Christ’s Spirit, already alive and active in our hearts.
Let’s pray, this week, that we may find every opportunity to live as though Christ died yesterday, rose from the dead today, and is coming in glory tomorrow. Amen